Zeke's First Dance and Other Developments

Zeke's cousin, Alenna Mae, celebrated her 18th birthday last Wednesday. I was the one who introduced her to the crowd and is also part of her 18 Treasures while my mag-ama were both included in her 18 Stars.

Zeke's outfit: Periwinkle polo, Guess shorts, Florsheim shoes

 At this rate, my son would be a very gala and sociable baby! I mean, for this month alone, we've gone to several parties --- wedding, debut and reunion! Good thing my little Zeke is already able to crawl, sit and stand, all before his 9th month. I'm surprised at how fast his motor, social and intellectual skills are developing. Even my sister-in-law (whose a registered midwife) says he's got strong bones and can be classified under the advanced development stage.

the first time he stood up on his own 3.29.12

he now loves to try eating solids, especially crackers and soups

sits up comfortably and crawls very fast

his first dance 3.28.12

Since he's now very active and really malikot, it's only wise to start investing on toys. Good thing his Graco crib is convertible into a play pen. So far, he loves his toy drum, noisy rattles, teether (I will have another post about this because this topic will take a whole lot of explaining, especially now that Zeke's in his teething phase), swing and anything else that he could bang ie remote control, mobile phones, etc. Most babies now explore objects by shaking them, banging them, dropping them and throwing them before falling back on the tried-and-true method of gumming them. The idea that you do something to an object is beginning to emerge, so an activity centre with lots of things your baby can bang, poke, twist, squeeze, shake, drop and open will fascinate him.

At this stage, babies like to see things fall down, get picked up (by you, of course) and then get thrown down again. Your baby isn't trying to goad you with this cycle; he just finds the spectacle interesting and naturally wants to see it again and again. Your baby now understands how objects relate to one another, too. As I've said, Zeke loves the remote control and whenever I hide it and he finds it, he'll look at me and laugh.

 

Zeke is also beginning to show signs of separation anxiety. This means your baby may start to be shy or anxious around strangers, especially when tired or irritable, and when you're out of sight and not with him, he'll become upset. Although it's hard to see your baby distressed, it's important to let him experience this. When you leave your baby and return, proving that you always come back, you're helping him develop trust and the ability to form attachments to other people. What I usually do, especially when he sees me leave the
house early in the morning, I kiss and hug him and tell him I won't be long. He might cry but at the end of the day, when he sees me in the afternoon, he's ready to show me that lovely smile of his.

He knows I will always be there and that I always come back